And so, amidst the other ways in which I pester him and pick his brain, I have asked a simple question of Philip Rivers at some point in each of the past eight summers.

What are you working on being better at this year?

The answer this time was a stunner. Never would anyone have imagined.

“One thing I’m trying to do is be a little more engaging daily with the guys,” he said.

Jaw dropped. Literally, mouth open for several seconds.

Being engaging for Rivers is, well, it’s what he does. It comes naturally to him, has always been important to him. Important, in fact, might not be a strong enough word.

I always figured interaction with teammates was for him what a porch light is to a moth, what water is to a tuna, what attention is to a Kardashian. That is, essential to life.

One of the first things I remember him telling me before his first season as the Chargers starting quarterback is that he considered having strong relationships and being a leader the most important part of his job.

I felt I had a pretty good understanding that Rivers’ leadership was the intangible that kept the Chargers from sliding into despair. With him as quarterback, no matter what troubles they encounter early, they have never given up and have a 33-6 post-November record. That’s second to the New England Patriots (34-5) since 2006.

Rivers led the league in yards per attempt and ranked third in touchdown passes over four straight playoff seasons to start his time as the Chargers’ starter, led the league in passer rating from 2008-10, last season completed a league-high 70 percent of his passes and has thrown for at least 4,000 yards in five of the past six seasons.

Certainly, these are the measures of an elite quarterback.

But there is more to it.

To see Rivers demonstrate his style of leadership over the past eight years has been every bit as astounding as watching him compile a 96.2 passer rating, fifth-highest in the NFL since ‘06.

Many have been the rookies and free agents off the street who have been flabbergasted to find that Rivers knows who they are when they arrive and can even recite a particular stat or recall a particular play he saw them make on TV. His intensity, often seen from the outside as petulance, is felt as passion by those he plays with. He has worked the Chargers locker room, pretty much every day of every year since he arrived in 2004, moving easily from sitting with the offensive linemen to cutting it up with the defensive backs to playing dominoes with a defensive tackle and a linebacker.

But lately, he’s become cognizant of something. It’s a gap he’s working hard to keep from expanding.

He knew the day would eventually come. And his burgeoning relationship with Keenan Allen, as much as anything, let him know it was here.